Plastic fantastic: The issuers of Cavanagh's cards include airlines, petrol stations and bars, with the lowest limit just £33.95 (Image: Getty)

Cavanagh's story started with a bet with a mate in the 1960s, where the winner at the end of the year would get a free dinner - if he held the most credit cards.

The 73-year-old reveals: "I was fresh from the Peace Corps and I got 143 cards by the end of the year. My friend gathered 138. He's still a pharmacist - like I was back then - if only he had worked a little harder maybe he could have been the one here today."

The total credit open to Cavanagh is around £1.1m, and he says his credit score is nearly perfect, as he actually only uses one card and pays it off monthly.

The issuers include airlines, petrol stations and bars, with the lowest limit just £33.95, and he has only ever been declined a card once.

It was in the 1970s, and issuer JJ Newberry said he had "too much credit".